PhD Program Overview

Affiliated Doctoral Program with the Salk Institute for Biological Studies

The goal of our program is to provide a supportive and stimulating environment with a wide range of opportunities to enable highly talented individuals to develop the skills and experience necessary to become successful world‐class scientists.

The instruction includes:

• analysis of existing knowledge as well as multidisciplinary strategies and
• approaches to the acquisition of new knowledge.

The program includes:

• training in the writing of research papers and grant applications,
• the presentation of lectures, and
• the ethical conduct of research.

These skills allow graduates to pursue a broad range of careers that involve the use of science to increase the quality of life everywhere.

Research Agenda of the Division of Biological Sciences

The primary units for the development of research are the four sections (departments) of our Division:

• Cell & Developmental Biology
• Molecular Biology
• Neurobiology
• Ecology, Evolution & Behavior

The biological problems investigated in these four sections focus on a wide range of basic and applied biological questions that relate to many common diseases: cancer, atherosclerosis, chronic inflammation, and infectious diseases. Interdisciplinary research thrives within the Division of Biological Sciences because we value opportunities to create exciting new scientific solutions by combining innovations in biology with those in mathematics, physics, computer science, and engineering.